Who was Annie Mae and what happened to her? Details about Vow of Silence subject explored

Hulu's latest four-part true-crime docuseries, Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae, examines the murder of Annie Mae Aquash, a renowned First Nations activist and Mi'kmaq tribal member from Nova Scotia, Canada. During her lifetime, she fought for the rights of Indigenous people and against the atrocities committed against them.

Mae's disappearance and eventual murder were among the most significant cases of that time. Although the murder occurred in 1975, no one was punished for the crime until the early 2000s, making this an even more heartbreaking affair.

The life of the activist, the brutal murder, and the lengthy investigation form the subject of Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae, which drops on Hulu on November 26, 2024. The synopsis for the series reads:

"Exploring the life and murder of Annie Mae Aquash, a Mi'kmaq woman from Nova Scotia, Canada whose death in the 1970s went unsolved for almost 30 years."

With the series just premiering on Hulu, let us go over the circumstances surrounding Mae's murder and its eventual resolution.

---

Who was Annie Mae Aquash?

Born into the Mi'kmaq First Nation at Indian Brook Reserve in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, on March 27, 1945, Annie Mae was raised in a large family and often struggled with poverty from a young age.

In the 1960s, Annie relocated to Boston with James Maloney. The couple had two daughters together in the years that followed and ultimately divorced in 1970.

While living in Boston, Mae began to meet urban American Indians and other First Nations people from Canada. During this time, she also got involved with the American Indian Movement (AIM), which was reportedly fighting to combat police brutality against Indigenous people at the time.

As an activist, she participated in many major movements, including the Wounded Knee Occupation, the 1972 Trail of Broken Treaties, and the occupation of the Department of Interior Headquarters in Washington, DC.

After divorcing Maloney, she married Nogeeshik Aquash, an Ojibwa activist, in 1973 and continued her quest for justice. She would keep the surname, Aquash, even after her separation from Nogeeshik.

---

How did Annie Mae die?

Shortly before her disappearance, Mae was arrested on two different occasions in 1975. Both times, she was released without much fuss, which reportedly did not sit well with some members of AIM, who allegedly began suspecting her of being a secret informant for the police or the FBI.

In December 1975, when Mae was in the company of Arlo Looking Cloud, John Graham, and Theda Nelson Clarke, she reportedly disappeared into thin air. Due to her line of work and vocal activism, many assumed she had died.

In February 1976, a rancher came across her body on the side of State Road 73, approximately 10 miles away from Wanblee, South Dakota. The official cause of death was listed as exposure (frostbite), and the body was buried as "Jane Doe," possibly trying to cover up for Mae's disappearance.

However, when the body was exhumed and a second autopsy was performed, it was revealed that Annie was shot to death with a .32 caliber bullet at the back of her head. With an immense uproar in the community, a large investigation was started.

---

Who killed Annie Mae?

While initially nothing was discovered for years, after an intense investigation, the police finally identified AIM members Arlo Looking Cloud, John Graham, and Theda Nelson Clarke as suspects.

Looking Cloud was the first to receive a life sentence for the murder after a jury indicted him, despite no physical evidence. Sometime later, Graham was also sentenced to life. Other AIM members were charged with the crime, and some even served time, but Arlo Looking Cloud and John Graham were the primary individuals punished for the crime.

---

Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae covers this case in further detail.